Woodbine: Marketing Mix prepping for Beverly D. in Dance Smartly

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Marketing Mix has resided at Woodbine since her workmanlike score in the June 2 Nassau Stakes, and will be favored when she tries to double up in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes here Sunday.

The $300,000 Dance Smartly, a 1 1/8-mile turf event, offers an extra $60,000 for eligible Ontario-breds, and Marketing Mix fits the bill. She found her calling on the grass last summer, when she romped here in the restricted Wonder Where Stakes. She subsequently won the Grade 3 Pucker Up at Arlington and the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill Downs.

Marketing Mix notched her season debut over Inglorious in an allowance at Keeneland. Following a flat effort at Churchill, she shipped back here to land the Grade 2 Nassau over a mile on soft ground, after breaking from post 6 under Julien Leparoux.

“We got a good post, so we could do whatever we wanted,” said Leparoux. “I let her drop a little off the pace, and she finished good for me. I think she’s probably better on the firm, but the long straight helped her a lot. She took a long time to get going on this kind of track.”

Nicky Carrello, an assistant to trainer Tom Proctor, said Marketing Mix is prepping for the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Aug. 18.

“She’s doing good,” said Carrello. “She had a good work the other day. A mile is a little short for her. She wants a mile and an eighth.”

Inglorious beat out Marketing Mix for champion 3-year-old filly honors in Canada last year, during which she won the Queen’s Plate and Woodbine Oaks on the Polytrack. After awaiting room early in the stretch of the Nassau, she flattened out to finish about three lengths back in fourth.

Patrick Husbands picks up the mount on Inglorious, who is trained by Josie Carroll.

Indian Pond rallied for third in her first outing in seven months in the Nassau, much to the delight of trainer Mark Casse.

“She actually surprised me,” Casse said. “I thought she would run all right, but it was a huge race for her. It’s one thing to do it once, but I’d like to see it twice. Is she capable of running with those good fillies again? Will she regress? She’s had plenty of time to recover. She had a nice breeze the other day. She should be fine.”

European import Kissable is making her first start in North America for trainer Roger Attfield, who has won the Dance Smartly four times. Her lone victory in nine starts came against maidens in Ireland.

Moment of Majesty and Moonlit Beauty were first and fourth, respectively, in the restricted Zadracarta Stakes, after Moment of Majesty bumped Moonlit Beauty in the stretch of the June 16 sprint.

Recent first-level allowance winner Lode Lady completes the field.